LAKEPORT — The Westshore Cardinals rallied from a 16-13 halftime deficit to beat the Middletown Colts 40-22 in a battle of undefeated teams in the Mendo Lake Empire Junior Football League varsity standings on Saturday night in Lakeport.
Clear Lake running back Jesse Hayes rushed for 278 yards, three touchdowns and two extra points while teammates Mikel Compton scored twice and Sawyer Smith once for the Cardinals (5-0).
“This was a big mid-season win for us,” Westshore head coach Derek Butcher said. “Middletown is a good football team. They played a good, clean game and there’s a good chance we will see them again (in the playoffs).”
Hayes scored on runs of 10 and 35 yards in the third quarter as Westshore pushed ahead of Middletown, taking a 27-16 lead into the fourth quarter. Compton’s 2-yard TD run and his ensuring extra point increased Westshore’s lead to 34-16. Middletown closed to 34-22 before Compton scored again on a 5-yard run to make it 40-22.
Middletown (4-1) eled 8-0 after one quarter. Hayes’ first touchdown of the day, coming on a 9-yard run, closed the gap to 8-6. Westshore took a 12-8 lead on a 30-yard pass from AJ Bruch to Smith, a lead that held until Middletown scored on a 35-yard run left with no time remaining in the first half. The Colts kicked their second straight PAT to go up 16-12 (extra-point kicks are actually worth two points in youth football).
On defense, Westshore’s Nathan Boomer led the way with four tackles, two assists and one forced fumble. Ryken Villanueva, Colton Mendoca and Bruch each had three tackles and two assists.
“We played better this week against a strong opponent,” Butcher said. “We were blocking and tackling better. Our penalties were minimal and we were able to make some mid-game adjustments, which really helped. Our kids played with great effort this week. I am very proud of this team and the direction we are going.”
Middletown scoring and statistics were not reported.
